Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement after Republicans filibustered the DISCLOSE Act, a bill that would have brought transparency to campaign finance law by requiring the disclosure of donor identities for campaign-related donations in excess of $10,000:

“Senate Republicans today showed that their top priority is protecting a handful of anonymous billionaires, giving them an outsized advantage over regular American voters to sway close elections.

“Democrats sought to require large political donors to disclose their identities so voters could judge their motivations for themselves. This wasn’t a new concept. In fact, many Republicans who blocked this bill today once supported it. But today those same Republicans chose to side with powerful, anonymous donors, who like their nominee Mitt Romney appear to believe they get to play by their own set of rules.

“Judging by Republicans’ vote today and Governor Romney’s refusal to release more tax returns, Republicans have clearly decided that secrecy is more important to them than being straight with the American people.”